That was proof that he loved me.
My stomach hurt.
You can’t compete with a dead person.
Especially a dead person who is about to die.
I gave up.
Ryan burst in and pulled me.
“You’re manipulating me. I said I was going
to marry you, I’m taking care of Sarah!
Brandon took her, all night! Do you want her
to die!”
I ignored my stomach.
“I don’t want to marry you. I didn’t invite
<
them.”
“I said, we’re calling off the wedding.”
I just grabbed my medicine.
Ryan exploded.
“This is what you wanted!”
“Brandon isn’t good for Sarah. I’m moving to
his house. As for you, think about it and fix
your attitude!”
Ryan slammed the door.
The brothers left with Sarah, leaving me
alone.
Maria was busy and visited me every day.
<
When she found out I had a stomach ache.
Maria cooked food and called her daughter:
“Find a man who loves you. Ryan doesn’t
take care of his wife and makes food for
Sarah! What good is that man!”
“Brandon feeds her! Do they like Sarah?”
“Eleanor is so sad… she isn’t married…”
I walked into the kitchen, Maria hung up the
phone.
“Don’t worry. Ryan loves you. He told me to
buy ingredients.”
“Brandon told me not to come over and take
care of vou. ́
<
I didn’t care.
They didn’t want Maria to bother their little
world.
All that love was fake.
I didn’t want to be with Ryan.
The sun was shining. It was time to leave.
For years, I was blind and needed to see.
I grabbed my passport and got into a taxi to
the airport.
It barely started to drive.
Ryan and Brandon blocked my taxi.
<
Ryan opened the car door, nervous, his eyes
red. “Eleanor, don’t leave…”
Chapter 2
Before I could react, Brandon yanked me out
of the cab.
“Spill it! Where did you take Sarah?! She
moved out, why do you want her gone
forever!”
I was completely lost. The driver got scared
and took off, ditching my luggage.
Ryan was even more furious.
“You think you can run away? Eleanor, are
you insane? You think I won’t call the cops?!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
L
I pushed Ryan away, and my knee wound
reopened.
Brandon ripped open my suitcase, throwing
my clothes and belongings into the street.
He pulled out a silk scarf and shouted, “This
is the scarf Sarah wore last night. Don’t tell
me you haven’t seen her!”
I couldn’t believe it. I shook my head,
pleading with Ryan.
“I don’t know! I don’t know why it’s in my
suitcase!”
Ryan shoved me, looking utterly disappointed.
“Eleanor, you think I’d believe you? Sarah’s
last text was to you!”
<
He held up Sarah’s phone, their picture as the
wallpaper was burning into my brain.
A clap of thunder crashed, and it started
pouring.
A few semi–trucks cut us off.
I looked around, desperate to escape.
Then, a black SUV pulled up beside me.
The door opened, and I saw Sarah, grinning.
“Ryan! Sarah’s right here…”
Before I could finish, two guys grabbed me
and dragged me into the car.
My voice was swallowed by the rain.
<
I passed out in the car. I woke up tied to a
chair in a derelict building.
It looked like an old hospital room. Sarah was
sitting on a bed, playing with a rusty scalpel.
All her niceness was gone.
“Finally awake, Eleanor. Why do you have to
ruin everything? Why did Ryan want to marry
you?”
She ran the scalpel across my face, her eyes
full of hate.
“It has to be that face that made Ryan love
you! I’ll cut it off!”
I was scared, so I straightened up and said,
“…Don’t get angry. I decided to leave. You
and Ryan can be together forever…”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.
You want Brandon. You want to get Ryan’s
inheritance from the family! I’ll tell you, you’re
dreaming! Ryan and Brandon are mine! They
can only love me!”
I nodded, trying to appease Sarah, while my
hands struggled behind the chair.
“Enough with the wasting time! Die!”
Sarah raised the knife to stab me.
I snapped.
I broke free, and I kicked her in the stomach,
grabbing the scalpel from her.
く
Sarah stared, backing away.
“You’re crazy, they would both turn on you!
Ryan and I got together because you broke
his heart! You have no right to question me!”
She was scared at first, but then suddenly
laughed.
“Did I fool you? You didn’t really think you
could escape, did you?”
“I made a plan to destroy you and Ryan!”
A group of thugs came out and surrounded
- me.
One, with a huge scar on his face, stepped
forward.
L
“Hey, remember me?”